Seattle runner breaks American 24-hour record

Scott Jurek, a Seattle physical therapist and ultramarathoner, broke the American record in the IAU 24-Hour World Championship run Friday in Brive, France, by covering 165.7 miles in the one-day run.

Jurek, 36, broke the previous U.S. mark of 162.46 miles set by Mark Godale of Aurora, Ohio, in 1999.

Jurek has previously won seven consecutive Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run titles, three Sparathlon (152 miles) in Greece and two Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles) races in Death Valley, Calif.

Jurek finished second to Shingo Inoue of Japan in Friday’s 24-hour race in France, with Inoue setting an Asian record of 170.0 miles.

Godale sent an e-mail to seattlepi.com congratulating Jurek for breaking his 11-year-old record.

“Setting a new American 24-hour record is a great achievement,” Godale said. “Scott has a big heart and a lot of guts. I congratulate Scott and the entire US team for their great success in Brive. They have made all of us proud.”